Children’s Rights, Voice, and Power in Education

Introduction

Human rights are founded in respect for equality, dignity, and the worth of the individual person. A key manifestation of those is the right to self-determination and in particular the freedom of an individual to make or at least influence the key decisions that impact on his or her life. For centuries, theorists have discussed the limitations on individual autonomy, debating the conditions and circumstances when the state, in particular, might interfere with personal autonomy. That debate has however largely been a discussion by adults about other adults; it is only in recent years that consideration has been given to the implications for childhood and the circumstances when limits might be placed on children who wish to either make their own decisions or influence the decisions that are made for them (Freeman 1994).

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (“the Convention”), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, was in many respects a game-changer....